I'm in This With You Til the End

Chapter 2 – Staying Strong

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! I decided to add a scene before completing this chapter. Enjoy!

Warning: slightly strong/suggestive "interrogation" scenes, but don't worry no graphicness.

…

(in the meantime)

A single white light dimly swayed back and forth in the stuffy room. Boots rattled the floor, and Daniel felt the coolness of the ground against his right cheek as he once again fell from another punch. He carefully pushed himself to sit and took a few deep breaths.

"Now again, agent," a burly voice stated. "The location, please."

"Go to hell," Daniel spat, not even focusing on the interrogator.

A swift kick to his gut made him gasp for air and cough, while another landed on his face. Daniel was accustomed to pain in many sorts, and though these are nothing compared to gunshot wounds or an amputated leg, he feels exhausted.

Stay calm, he thought. There's always a way. They've kept me alive for a reason, and they haven't detonated anything yet…but what do they want, then? The hostages were just a stand in for what Panther really wants…this smells fishy…

"He won't talk, we'll make him talk…," the guard retorted, dragging him up. They started laying the punches to his gut in an enjoyably slow fashion while two other ones grabbed Daniel, propping him up on each arm to receive the physical blows.

"Careful! The boss said to not kill him—not yet. He needs him for the deal."

"Still. If we can't make him talk, let's make him scream."

"We should make that female agent the boss has with him scream." A raunchy laugh bellowed from the all the men.

"Oh he will, as soon as he's done with her." More laughter echoed the room.

Daniel's blood boiled. He has taught himself to turn off his emotions during missions, but no one—no one—talks about his wife like that. He really wished he still had his pistol. His crutch was not too far away on the floor next to him, but far enough that having his arms wound up in the other guards made it especially difficult to move. He still shoved himself up in a new blast of energy fueled from his anger and tore away from both men's grip.

"Don't you dare touch her!" he managed to yell out, tackling the closest guard to the ground and swinging punches to his face. The others were taken back by surprise and Daniel used it to his advantage. He snatched his crutch from the floor just as the others tried restraining him and used it as a weapon – more in the fashion of a baseball bat. He swung it wildly, effectively knocking out a couple of the men before pouncing on the rest. It was as if a wild animal was let loose within him, and he couldn't contain the rage coursing in his veins.

Nothing can stop him now.

He scrambled to juggle the room of eight men fighting his wrath, and he had the upper hand until one of the men slung a rope around Daniel's neck from behind, effectively cutting off his possessed rampage. He instantly dropped his crutch and grasped the rope to prevent it from strangling him.

While wheezing and coughing, another guard punched his face, taming his previous movements. The rope was released and he fell to the floor, and knuckles were heard cracking.

All the guards turned towards him in silence, smirking. "Well, well. You scored very nicely with her…how did you do it? With this leg of yours?" A swift kick to his prosthetic made him bite his tongue; he didn't want to let the men have the satisfaction of hearing him groan in agony.

"No, got to be this pretty face of his!"

A boot crashed to the side of his face, pinning a side of his face down. Daniel could feel his lip split and his face burn.

"Not the face, you dumbass. Get him in that leg of his—it should hurt real nice."

"You son of a b-AAHHHHHH!"

"Now! The location of the SSR!"

Daniel gave no answer except low growls of pain. He felt useless. His emotions got the best of him, and he couldn't call upon his tactical training he used to be able to do, even with his crutch in hand. He knows the Peggy could hold her own interrogation, and he sure hopes that that doesn't change—he's pretty beat at this point. He needed to concentrate on keeping the SSR and hostages safe while finding out what was Panther's true motive. He kept reminding himself that he's still alive, and that need him to stay that way.

"Forget it. Let's just tell boss to make her talk. This guy won't do it."

"Idiot. Did you try the gun?"

"You're the idiot! The boss needs him alive!"

"Fine! I guess we'll go the old fashioned way then!"

They started a barrage of kicks to his entire form—his gut, his legs, his head. He tried to shield himself from the attacks of his head, and he bites his tongue in effort to prevent any audible groans from him. He refused to give his attackers the satisfaction that they were breaking him.

But when each time they make contact with his leg, he couldn't hold it in any longer. Throat cutting cries emerged from him, and that was the only way to make the pain and exhaustion more bearable. They stomped mercilessly on his prosthetic, and he could feel the old wounds throbbing painfully, pulsating back up to his head. He never let these old wounds bother him before, but this…this is new.

What felt like a long time later, a static transmission in one of the radios suddenly came through, and he was relieved (at least, for the moment) that the pounding stopped. The world was spinning…was it really spinning? He closed his eyes to breath heavily, catching his breath.

"Hey boys. Make sure the perimeters of the hostage groups are secured. And pay this Daniel fella a little extra, won't 'cha? Especially since his wife needs a little convincing…"

His eyes snapped open. Peggy…he thought. Oh no. They know about us. She can't…they can't use me as a device to get to her. They just can't…she won't let them…please don't give in, Peg...

And just like that, they were beating him again. They sure love to pick on his leg. He didn't want Peggy to hear his distressed cries, but no avail. He yelled as loudly as he could:

"Peggy! Don't do it! I'm fine—"

"Daniel-!" Peggy's voice sounded frightened in a way that Daniel has never heard before; he has to let her know he'll be okay.

"Peggy! I—AHHHHHH!" That definitely felt like his leg was being broken….

"Daniel, you must listen me, you have to stay strong! I'll get you out…"

"No! There's—AHHH—no—AHHH—time! Peggy, the hostages…"

"I'm in this with you until the end, Daniel! Don't you forget!"

Daniel smiled despite his pain at the familiar phrase they say to each other, ever since their days of Peggy's first trip out to California, to their commitment when they got together, and most of all, as part of their vows on their wedding day. "Peggy—I—"

"Give him the electrical tongs, boys." Panther's voice crackled through.

He felt a set of cool metal bars make contact with his abdomen, and all that left his mouth were ear piercing screams.

"DANIEL!"

Peggy's voice was the last thing he heard before the world went dark.

…

He didn't know how long he was out for, but when he awoke, he felt some drag him to a sitting position and tapping (oh how polite of them) his face before a quick slap.

"All right boys, you can stop," he heard the officer in charge say.

What…Daniel thought. What's going on?

"Boss said to let the hostages go," the voice continued. "And this agent."

Daniel's heart thudded. That's it! She must've found a way. We have back up-!

"The boss got what he wanted," the officer continued. "Agent Carter has agreed to his terms."

Daniel's eyes snapped open. What?

There was no way that Peggy would've promised the location of the SSR – no way. She bled red, white, and blue, and she would never, ever betray her country, even if civilians were in danger. But how did she…especially when there was no back up…does this mean the hostages were already…?

Nothing made sense. But does this mean, Peggy found a way to get out? But…agree to his terms? What terms? It was just to tell them the SSR location…but a false one they could verify very quickly, and the hostages would be in danger again…? But if not tell, they would be able to complete their original agenda, which…why didn't they do that already? Why would they so easily just give up and release the hostages and him? What was it that Panther wanted when they captured him and split him and Peggy apart? It couldn't be just the location of the SSR…

Something didn't add up, and it worried Daniel greatly. He was dragged to his feet and his crutch thrown at him.

"Here, you're going to need this to say good bye to your wife. Or rather, she won't be your wife anymore."

Daniel's heart dropped. WHAT? Oh no…Peggy, what did you do?

A subordinate guard shoved him forward, all the while whispering into the main man's ear, and the main man smiled. "Oh?"

Both of them chuckled and ebbed each other in the ribs. "This is going to be fun."

They started their trek along the maze of dark hallways to the outside. Daniel's injuries on top of his tired state made him hobble slower, but his patience was wearing thin. He has to know what Peggy did…he KNOWS that it wasn't good, and it didn't sit well with him at all.

As they walked, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted with a loud whistle of arguments by his former captors.

"I want the first turn after the boss!"

"Hey! I called first!"

"I'm the boss after the boss!"

"There will be plenty of time, from what I've seen how she works…"

Daniel stopped so suddenly in his tracks that the guards behind him crash into him. His mind went on high alarm from the comments and he felt sick to his stomach…so sick that he wanted to throw up on the spot. He would have given in to his disgusted nausea if it wasn't the support of his crutch in hand.

Peggy…you can't do this…he thought. No, no, no…

He can't let her sacrifice herself like this. He has to convince her that there will be a way. He has to let her know that there's a plan.

If only he believed that notion himself.

…

Author's Note: Sorry for the back and forth in the scene…this will be vital to see in the next chapter(s), I promise.